Patna: Within the final 10 days, as many as 18 former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers have joined ballot strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor’s ‘Jan Suraaj’ (good governance) marketing campaign in Bihar, whereas one former senior police officer has been inducted by the Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
Whereas former bureaucrats becoming a member of politics just isn’t new, the sudden rush of retired authorities officers in direction of political platforms this month has baffled old-timers and analysts.
“It displays the truth that the road between the legislative and govt is getting blurred,” remarked former Bihar director normal of police (DGP) Abhayanand, whereas chatting with ThePrint Tuesday.
On 2 Could, six former IAS officers from Bihar assembled on the Jan Suraaj workplace in Patna to affix the marketing campaign — a 3,500-km padyatra — began by Kishor on 2 October final 12 months. The transfer is being dubbed a precursor to his entry into Bihar politics.
The retired civil servants are Ajay Kumar Dwivedi, former particular secretary, state cupboard; Arvind Kumar Singh, former district Justice of the Peace of Kaimur and Purnia, who was a secretary on the time of his retirement; Lalan Yadav, former district Justice of the Peace of Nawada and Katihar; Tulsi Hazar, retired administrator of Bettiah Raj; Suresh Sharma, who retired as a joint secretary within the Bihar well being division; and Gopal Narayan Singh, who retired as joint secretary within the state’s rural affairs division.
Ajay Dwivedi, Arvind Kumar, Lalan Yadav and Tulsi Hazar are all from the 1981 IAS batch, whereas Gopal Singh is from the 1984 batch and Suresh Sharma from the thirty first Bihar Administration Service batch, ThePrint had reported.
On 7 Could, a dozen former IPS officers joined Kishor’s marketing campaign — Chhattisgarh DGP S.Okay. Paswan, retired Bihar Inspector Normal (IG) Jitendra Mishra, retired Deputy Inspector Normal (DIG) Okay.B. Singh, retired Inspector Normal Umesh Singh, retired DIG Anil Singh, former DIG S.Okay. Jha, retired IG A.Okay. Singh, former DGP R.Okay. Mishra, and former IPS officers C.P. Kiran, Mohammed Rahman Momin, Shanker Jha, and Dilip Mishra.
भारतीय पुलिस सेवा के 12 रिटायर्ड अफसर जन सुराज मुहिम से जुड़े। pic.twitter.com/yaMdSoNPvh
— Jan Suraaj (@jansuraajonline) May 7, 2023
Talking to ThePrint, V.S. Dubey, former chief secretary of Bihar and Jharkhand, stated: “For the primary two years of coaching, IAS and IPS officers are taught that they need to avoid politics and be impartial. However I discover a number of serving officers quitting (service) to affix politics.”
Remarking that “it seems the bureaucrats are craving energy and cash”, Dubey additional stated that “even a retired IAS or IPS officer will get a good-looking pension for the companies they’ve given. They need to be happy with that”.
In keeping with Dubey, the excellence between the manager and legislative solely exists on paper. “Even throughout service, many (officers) are inclined to determine with one politician or one other,” he added.
Additionally learn: Assaults on Modi, Lalu, Nitish — how Prashant Kishor is in search of personal area in politics with padyatra
‘Drawn to PK due to his imaginative and prescient’
Talking to ThePrint, former DGP R.Okay. Mishra, a 1984-batch IPS officer, stated his becoming a member of of the Jan Suraaj Abhiyan was not about electoral politics.
“If I needed to be part of politics, I might have joined a mainstream political occasion,” he asserted. “I’ve served in varied governments led by the Congress, RJD and JD(U). I’ve seen ideologies like socialism and Marxism die. As an alternative there may be the toxic communal and caste politics (lately). One aspect says exclude the higher castes and the opposite says exclude the minorities,” he added.
“I’m drawn to PK due to his imaginative and prescient to root out corruption and different toxic developments,” Mishra added.
He additional identified that not all these becoming a member of Jan Suraaj can be given tickets if the outfit turns right into a political occasion. “Some who’ve contributed to society whereas in service and are widespread among the many locals could also be given tickets,” he stated.
Nonetheless, former Chhattisgarh DGP Paswan instructed ThePrint, “I’m comfortable to serve the folks once more. I come from a piece of society wherein turning into an engineer or officer continues to be a dream.”
On 7 Could, the RJD inducted a former DGP of Tamil Nadu, Dr Karuna Sagar. The 1991-batch IPS officer joined the occasion in Patna within the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav.
The previous DGP, who belongs to the Bhumihar higher caste and hails from the state’s Jehanabad, stated he had joined the RJD as he was impressed by the ideology of occasion president Lalu Prasad and the work being executed by his son Tejashwi.
An RJD MLA who didn’t want to be named instructed ThePrint that Karuna Sagar “could also be a alternative sooner or later” for occasion MLC and former Bihar legislation minister Kartik Singh. “The RJD is determined to interchange Kartik Singh, a Bhumihar, who needed to be dropped (from the Bihar cupboard) final 12 months due to his involvement in a kidnapping case,” the MLA stated.
Amongst former bureaucrats holding posts within the authorities at the moment is former IAS officer R.Okay. Singh, who’s minister of energy and new and renewable vitality.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
Additionally Learn: As PK’s Jan Suraaj yatra meanders via Bihar, 1st electoral success spurs hope of ‘influence in 2025 polls’